"Chicago to the Sea." Eastern Excursionist / A complete guide to the principal eastern summer resorts, including: Niagara Falls, the White Mountains, Saint Lawrence and Saguenay Rivers, Montreal and Quebec, the New England sea beaches, etc., and how and when to enjoy them.

by William C. Gage

IN RETURNING FROM THE SEA,

The excursionist may traverse again the route through the mountains,—and some portions of it are well worthy of a second visit, or by a different route may reach the St. Lawrence River, and find new objects and scenes to claim his attention. Should the latter be his choice, he may take the train of the Concord & Portsmouth Railroad, at Portsmouth, and go via Manchester, Concord, White River Junction and St. Albans to Ogdensburg or Montreal, thence homeward by the St. Lawrence River, or the rail route, as preferred.

Many, however, will wish to see Boston or New York; and a pleasant trip, comprising a visit to these two cities, may be made by boat or rail from Portland to Boston, thence by Long Island Sound to New York. The Sound Steamer Lines are four in number, all of them having an initial stage by rail to some point on the Sound where connection is made with the boats.

The Fall River Line comprises a trip by rail from Boston to Fall River, forty-nine miles, there transferring to one of the floating palaces, the “Bristol,” the “Providence,” or the new and elegant “Pilgrim,” the latter being conceded to be the finest boat on the Sound. J. R. Kendrick, Esq., is the general manager of this line, with headquarters at Boston, and Geo. L. Connor is the general passenger agent, located in New York.

The Stonington Line has for its inception the rail route to Stonington, Connecticut, via Providence, where connection is made with the elegant steamers, “Massachusetts” and “Rhode Island.” This route has more of rail and less of water than the preceding, and avoids the “outside” passage around Point Judith, a consideration that has its weight with the timid and sensitive.

The Providence Line is under the same management as that of the foregoing, and comprises a rail trip to Providence, and boat from there to New York, the steamers “Stonington” and “Narragansett” being employed on this line.

The Norwich Line has for its beginning a rail trip to New London, thence by steamer to New York.

The start from Boston is in the early evening, the arrival at the various boat landings being in ample season for “bed-time,” and the trip through the Sound is a night ride, arriving in New York in season to connect with morning trains if desired. The passengers who arise in moderately good season will enjoy the latter portion of the ride, as the boat enters the famous passage known as “Hell Gate,” passes down the East River in view of the islands on which are located the various reformatory, penal, and charitable institutions of New York City, continuing between the cities of New York and Brooklyn, under the famous suspension bridge, and around the Battery and Castle Garden into the North River. The shipping in the harbor, the sprightly tugs steaming here and there, the ferry boats plying between Long Island and New York, and the ceaseless activity and bustle of all things animate, all combine to give to the scene an air of life and vigor so characteristic of all that pertains to the great metropolis of America.

The sights and scenes of the city itself are so numerous and varied that the pen falters at the thought of even attempting to mention them. If the reader has a desire to “do” the city in a systematic and thorough manner, he should secure the company of some one familiar with its customs and its places of interest, or consult the pages of some city guide book.